Posts Tagged ‘chemotherapy’

MaryEllen Sheppard was about to receive her last round of chemotherapy at Mayo Clinic, with friends and family by her side. But as her loved ones and her nurses cheered her on, a wave of emotion hit this mom with nerves of steel.

What will life be like after these medical appointments end?, was one of the questions MaryEllen wondered about as tears streamed down her cheeks.

In this final installment of MaryEllen’s Journey, MaryEllen shares how she was feeling during those last chemotherapy and radiation appointments and visits with Mayo again post-treatment to share what she did to get her life back on track.

We truly thank MaryEllen for giving Mayo Clinic’s video crew open access to her life to share her story and experiences with others going through a breast cancer diagnosis. It was a privilege getting to know her and help her share her story with you all.

Missed an episode?:

Please click on the following to see MaryEllen’s journey from the beginning:

Like many women facing breast cancer, MaryEllen Sheppard had concerns over how she would feel after her chemotherapy treatments.

Would she be able to go to work?

Would the chemotherapy leave her feeling ill and exhausted?

How long would it be until she inevitably lost her hair?

When you last saw MaryEllen in Episode 1, she began her treatment for her triple negative breast cancer diagnosis at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

In this latest installment of Mayo’s multi-part video series, MaryEllen will fill you in on how she felt after two rounds of chemotherapy and if the experience was what she expected.

You will also meet key members of MaryEllen’s treatment team. Oncologist Donald Northfelt, M.D., associate medical director of the Breast Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, will share what triple negative breast cancer is and what MaryEllen is facing. And you also will meet Nancy Ledoyen, RN, operations manager of hematology/oncology, who will explain what chemotherapy is and how it has advanced over the years.

Below is the bonus footage of Dr. Northfelt discussing what makes treatment at Mayo Clinic unique.

As always, please feel free to post a comment about the series or a message to MaryEllen after each episode.

Helen Buescher was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006. Since then, she has traveled several times from her home in northern Minnesota to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for tests, appointments and chemotherapy infusions. Between her Mayo Clinic appointments, Helen receives treatment closer to home, in Grand Rapids, Minn.

Last Friday, during one of those infusions, Helen shared memories of her meaningful relationships with the nursing staff on Gonda East 10 and with her hematologist, Ruben Mesa, M.D.

If you would like to share your story, you may do so by leaving a comment below or by writing on the wall of Mayo Clinic’s Facebook page. You also can tell it via video as Helen did, either by uploading your own video or with staff assistance when you’re visiting Mayo. Make arrangements in advance by email, or call from a Mayo campus phone.